Clarksville, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) softball team will step out of Ohio Valley Conference play for the final time in 2021 as they host Middle Tennessee, at 5:00pm, on Wednesday, April 28th at Cathi Maynard Park-Cheryl Holt Field, in a showdown between two longtime mid-state rivals.
The game will be the 55th all-time between the Govs (23-12, 18-10 OVC) and Blue Raiders (23-20, 9-7 CUSA) and the first in Clarksville since the 2018 season.
Austin Peay State University is led offensively by junior third baseman Lexi Osowski (.422, 5 HR, 23 RBI), followed by senior shortstop Brooke Pfefferle (.380, 2 HR, 16 RBI).
Osowski also currently leads the OVC in batting average coming into the week.
Two other APSU Govs are hitting over .300 this season after 35 games, starting with senior outfielder Bailey Shorter (.336, 4 HR, 19 RBI) and senior pitcher/first baseman Kelsey Gross (.314, 4 HR, 38 RBI).
Middle Tennessee enters the day with two players hitting .300-or-better this season, led by Kelci Hill (.391, 2 HR, 20 RBI) and Summer Burgess (.326, 1 HR 9 RBI).
In the circle, the Govs pitching staff is led by Gross, who is 8-2 this season, with two shutouts, three saves, a 2.29 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 67.1 innings of work.
She is followed by junior Harley Mullins (7-5, 5.47 ERA, 44 K’s) freshman Jordan Benefiel (7-4, 1.55 ERA, 68 K’s) and Shelby Harpe (1-0, 6.00 ERA, 2 K’s).
Amber Baldwin (9-8, 2.87 ERA, 36 K’s) and Corrina Dodd (7-4, 2.62 ERA, 49 K’s) lead the Blue Raiders pitching staff.
APSU Hit and Run
Lexi Osowski enters the week leading the OVC in batting average (.422).
Kelsey Gross needs one more victory to become the seventh pitcher in program history to reach 30 career wins and one more strikeout to tie Ashley Elrod (2006-09) for 10th in all-time strikeouts by a pitcher (203).
For the first time in the program’s 36-year history, the APSU Govs have three pitchers on the roster who have all won at least seven games in the same season.
Governor hitters have struck out an OVC low 108 times this season.
Lexi Osowski is one double short of breaking into the program’s all-time Top 10 for career doubles (30).
Kelsey Gross is two RBI’s away from becoming just the third player to drive in at least 40 RBIs in a single season for APSU.
